Tag: cyber attack

  • New initiatives to protect sensitive information, prevent cyber attacks

    New initiatives to protect sensitive information, prevent cyber attacks

    The federal government has formed the National Computer Emergency Response Team to protect sensitive information and prevent cyber attacks.

    NCERT will protect digital assets, sensitive information and critical infrastructure.

    According to a notification of the Ministry of IT, NCERT has been formed as per PECA and CERT rules. The Cyber Security for Digital Pakistan project was declared a National CERT, which had been running for several years.

    The NCERT will play a role in detecting and preventing cyber attacks. For this, along with the appointment of experts, the purchase of necessary software and hardware has already been done.

    NCERT will work on creating awareness, research and development related to cyber attacks while a separate website for National Cert has also been launched.

    The Cyber Security for Digital Pakistan project has been running for several years, and it was run by the National Telecommunication and Information Security Board.

  • English court jails first offender for ‘cyber-flashing’

    English court jails first offender for ‘cyber-flashing’

    London, United Kingdom – A court in eastern England on Tuesday became the first in the country to jail someone for a new cyber-flashing offence, sentencing a convicted sex offender to 66 weeks in prison.

    A judge at Southend Crown Court handed Nicholas Hawkes, 39, the jail term after he previously admitted to the newly designated offence at an earlier appearance.

    Cyber-flashing, which can involve offenders sending people an unsolicited sexual image on social media, dating apps or by other electronic communication, became a crime in England and Wales on January 31.

    It was part of the government’s Online Safety Act.

    Hawkes, from Basildon, east of London, pleaded guilty to two counts of sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress or humiliation.

    He had admitted the latest offences of sending unsolicited images to a 15-year-old girl and a woman on February 9.

    The woman took screenshots of the photograph on WhatsApp and reported him to police the same day.

    Hawkes was already on the sex offenders register after a conviction last year of sexual activity with a child under 16 years old and exposure, for which he also received a community order.

    On Tuesday he also pleaded guilty to breaching that order and breaching a suspended sentence for another sexual offence.

    Victims of the new cyber-flashing offence and other image-based abuses have lifelong anonymity from the moment they report it under the Sexual Offences Act.

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    © Agence France-Presse

  • How to identify and protect your mobile from cyber attacks

    How to identify and protect your mobile from cyber attacks

    Smartphones are ideal targets for hackers as they contain so much personal information all in one place, from email and phone contacts to banking and social media details. This information can be used by hackers to steal identities, sell them on the dark web, and perform a variety of other cybercrimes.

    Cybercriminals are always refining their methods, making their attacks increasingly difficult to spot. We have heard of the phone and call tapping but recently there has been a debate that if WhatsApp calls can be tapped.

    Can WhatsApp audio or video call be hacked?

    Bugging can occur at all kinds of levels from political worthies to average people with no technological wisdom. A cyber security expert claims that since nothing is impossible and no code is perfect, WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption makes it safer.

    However, WhatsApp employs some of the best coders around, and the business has invested heavily in the security of its messenger. Therefore, for not-so-pro hackers, it is ‘almost impossible’ to hack WhatsApp.

    All WhatsApp conversations—video or audio—are encrypted from beginning to end. Although the implementation of that encryption can’t be examined for security because the app is closed-source.

    However, let’s presume it’s solid. Any video or audio data sent during your video chats that are end-to-end encrypted can only be decoded on the device you’re using to make the call. So even if anyone were to intercept the data, they couldn’t decrypt it, it’d be useless. Not ‘leakable’ in that manner.

    Unless you exploit your smartphone by doing these and have it compromised by:

    • Installing third-party apps or particularly APKs (not from the play store) which are modified by developers
    • Allowing hackers to install malware on your phone so they can access anything by clicking on a link
    • Installing fake WhatsApp, such as WhatsApp PLUS or GB WHATSAPP

    Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks or even data sniffing can be used to collect video processing from your device. However, a hacker must first get access, which it does by utilising social engineering to trick you into clicking links or downloading files.

    By simply copying the WhatsApp database file and encryption key from your phone by using some software, anyone may read your message.

    Each WiFi network adapter smartphone has a 12-character MAC address, a unique identification number that can be falsified. Hackers can use the MAC address of your phone to replicate your WhatsApp on their system.

    How to protect your WhatsApp account

    • Never give your phone to someone you don’t trust.
    • Keep your messages locked down with a different key so that no one else can see your messages.
    • Go to your WhatsApp settings and select “log-out from all browsers” or a comparable option if you are signed into numerous devices using your number to access WhatsApp Web.

    How to enable two-step verification

    To enable two-step verification, open WhatsApp > Settings > Account > Two-step verification > Enable.

    You will be prompted to create a password at this step, which will stop someone else from using your phone number for WhatsApp verification.

    Additionally, according to the experts, hackers won’t be able to track the user’s whereabouts if they don’t get access to any vital information.

    Phantom Calls

    A call is deemed Phantom if there is no one chatting from the other side. They all come from various numbers, and you won’t be able to hear any of them. You should report PTA if you frequently receive phantom calls. Most likely, a hacker is attempting to access your mobile device if you receive excessive random calls.

    Random messages

    We must have gotten several texts from unknown sources. Just checking a text message will not cause your phone to be hacked. You should use caution when clicking on links or using coupon coupons in communications, though. Consider whether the link looks authentic before clicking it to ensure that your personal information won’t be disclosed.

    Malicious links

    You can accidentally tap a malicious link and wind up installing spyware on your phone, that may transmit private information to hackers, if you are unable to identify this fake message. Or else, you can be taken to phishing websites that request information from your private accounts.

    Therefore, if you receive a text message advertising a great offer that requires you to click on a link in order to activate it, wait before doing so. As these links will direct you to a trap. This can considerably decrease the risk of someone hacking into your phone using messages.

    By avoiding suspicious links and only downloading apps from Apple and Google stores, we can reduce the risk of being hacked.

  • National awareness campaign launched to protect children against cybercrime

    National awareness campaign launched to protect children against cybercrime

    The Federal Ombudsman’s nationwide public awareness campaign aimed at educating the wider populace and relevant groups about the skills and methods needed to combat cybercrime against children is now in full swing.

    On Sunday, a representative for the Federal Ombudsman Office said that as part of the program, state-run broadcasting stations broadcast informational messages and programmes about the prevention and control of cyber-crime against children in Urdu and regional languages.

    The strategic goal of the awareness campaign, according to Commissioner for Children Syeda Viqar un Nisa Hashmi, is to raise public awareness about the effects of cyber-crime abuse and exploitation of minors, as well as to educate children so that they could protect themselves from such situations.

    He went on to say that politicians were encouraged to bring legal amendments to the issue as part of the protection drive. The FIA Cyber Crime Cell is also conducting operations to apprehend the remaining suspects. 

    Read more: Lahore Police arrested 648 dacoits, recovering more than Rs27 crore in three months

    Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Cell also nabbed a gang in Lahore that was allegedly making money from the dark web through juvenile crime.